The Search for the Voice
by ClumseyHalfDemon
Summary: Kestrel is in trouble. A Templar named Wayne Rykov, is on the hunt for a Piece of Eden of unimaginable power. When it becomes known to the Templar's that Kestrel's line has come in contact with this artifact, they go after her. And it cost her everything.
1. Prologue

**AN: I'm just testing the waters with this, most of the characters I do own. I do not own any characters that you may come across that are seen in the games, those characters belong strictly to Ubisoft and Bathesda respectively. **

* * *

Prologue

Kestrel laid on her bedroom floor, the nice warm glow of the morning sun on her back, her legs crossed and swinging in the air slowly. She was reading one of her favorite books. It was early morning, her parents had not gotten up yet.

"'_Captain Jackie Locke' he purred-"_

A flicker of movement past her window. She glanced back at it, having not seen anything she turned back to her book.

"'_William Todd Smith, how surprising' she said simply-"_

Something outside interrupted her, she got up and peered out the window.

'_Nothing,'_ she thought.

"Probably just a bird…" she mumbled to herself, pulling her hair over her shoulder. She made to go back to her book, but something just didn't feel right. It felt as if everything suddenly had eyes. She listened, the usual song birds weren't singing their morning tune. It was too quiet. She closed her book and tossed it onto her bed, and stood listening.

She heard them before she saw them, six black SUV's unmarked with tinted windows, came speeding up her neighborhood road. They came screaming to a halt right in front of the house.

_CRASH!_

Just as she jumped up to run to her parents room, a small black ball came through her window. It rolled to a stop, the top turned and a white gas streamed from between the two hemispheres, began to fill her room. She covered her face with the neck of her shirt, coughing, and shot a quick glance out the now broken window, there were people getting out of the SUV's in groups of five, all dressed in black tactical gear with the letters '_A.T.U.'_ in bold white on their backs complete with AR-15's. They were running towards the house, spreading out. She stumbled towards her door, coughing. Kestrel saw her father come running up the hall, he was wearing strange hooded robes of a peculiar fashion, and was fashioning something to his forearm but she couldn't see it very well because of all the smoke. When Kestrel reached the door, she could tell that they had thrown the smoke bombs through all the windows. Her mother came running up to her from her room, she was wearing something similar to Kes's father.

"Are you okay?!" she asked urgently. Kestrel nodded, which sent her into another coughing fit. Her mother ran in the same direction as her father. In which, Kes could hear the sounds of a struggle.

She took off after her parents. Skidding to a halt when she reached the living room, she saw them fighting a group of about sixteen. She stood awestruck as her father took out a particularly large one. Some of them had their uniforms cut and there was blood spattered all over the carpet. Both of them moved with such grace and ferocity, and each of them seemed to be wielding a knife, but one second it'd be there the next it would either vanish into the armor of one of the A.T.U., or into what seemed like thin air. It all looked like one big deadly dance, with the tactical team's guns rendered useless because of the close combat.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Kestrel from behind, she felt the cold metal of a gun pressed to the side of her neck. She blinked and swallowed hard, rooted to the spot, the gas was finally clearing up. She noted the two men holding her hostage, one was holding her with his gun jammed into her neck. Ever so rudely. He had a strange symbol on his uniform, it looked like a triangle that had been sliced diagonally at all the corners, with the pieces sliding in on each other. But she couldn't place where she'd seen it.

The other, was wearing a very expensive looking suit. He cleared his throat, adjusting the cufflinks on his wrist, which bore the same symbol.

"Ahem!" He said a bit louder over the grunts and cries, Kes's mother heard him, and her opponent took advantage of the glance she stole in his direction and kicked her legs out from underneath her. Then another kicked her in the stomach knocking the wind out of her.

"MOM!" Kes screamed, and made to go to her but was jerked back and rewarded with the gun pressed almost painfully, into her neck.

Her mother's hands were zip-cuffed behind her, and she was dragged into a kneeling position, with three of the A.T.U. guarding her, the rest went to join in fighting her father. Two of them fell dead after a quick jab towards their heads from him and his disappearing knife. But there were too many of them, and with no room to move, they quickly started to overwhelm him. One was able to steal a punch to his left side, another went for a taser but missed and ended up tazing a fellow teammate. Finally, two of them were able to grab his arms and with one swift move another punched him in the stomach with their whole weight. Her father's knees were kicked out from behind, and he was dragged over to her mother and forced to kneel next to her. One of the guards walked behind them and pulled their hoods off, those still breathing had their rifles pointed at them. Panting, Kes's father looked up as the suited man approached him, recognition blooming on his face.

"Wayne Rykov." He grunted, glaring at him.

"You're a hard man to find Mr. Beckett." He drawled, a look of triumph of his smug face "And such a lovely wife you have Damien, nice to see you again Thea…" he said, squatting down to look her in the face, she glared hard at him.

"How long has it been now?" He asked ignoring him. Straightening up, he ran a hand through his slick black hair, it looked as if he got a little liberal with the hair gel when he was slicking it back. He had a pointed face with a chiseled jaw. He paced back and forth in front of them mockingly. He turned his back to them and looked Kestrel in the face.

"How old are you dear?" Rykov purred almost lovingly, he was enjoying this victory a bit too much. Kes looked past him and made eye contact with her father, anger crossing his features. She winced as the gun was pressed even harder into her neck, when she tried to back away from Rykov.

"Get away from her, this is between you and me, she has no part in it." said Damien softly, the danger in his voice could kill.

'_Part of what?'_ Kes thought confused, she was still trying to figure out why her parents were wearing strange robes, and who these men were.

Thea gasped as one of the A.T.U. hit him on the shoulder with the butt of his rifle, there was a crack as his collarbone snapped from the force of it. He grunted with pain and leaned forward slightly to move away from his assailant.

"Ah, but she does." Said Rykov, looking into Kestrel's eyes. Her fear kept her mouth shut. "No matter, I'd wager it's been about eleven years since I've seen the two of you." He spun on his heel to look at Kes's parents again.

'_This isn't exactly how I imagined getting my letter to Hogwarts.' _Kes thought, she hated herself for trying to lighten the mood. Maybe this was all just a big joke? Her birthday was only yesterday, and they hadn't had a chance to celebrate yet, _and _her parents knew she liked a good adventure. Kestrel prayed she was right.

"You can imagine my excitement when one of my informants told me you'd been seen here." he said smiling. "losing your touch? Then again, we were bound to find you eventually." He looked at his watch.

"Oh my, boys would you look at the time!" He said, addressing his men. "We got what we came for…" he said with a meaningful look in Kestrel's direction.

"No." breathed Thea. That was all Kestrel needed to understand this was real, the fear in her mother's eyes was not a joke.

"Let's clean up and move out." He said looking back to her parents. Kestrel looked her parents in their eyes, she saw her own feelings reflected there. Rykov gave a half smile, turned and walked down the hall towards the door, the man who held her turned to follow grabbing her by the arm as he did so. Kes didn't dare fight them with the gun still pointed at her, she whimpered to herself. The other A.T.U. closed in around her parents.

Kestrel heard something that sounded like a sword being drawn from its sheath. She planted her feet, jerking the agents, looking back. Her parents were on their feet, the zip ties falling to the floor, having been sliced off by their disappearing blades. Rykov walked briskly to the door, trying not to let his fear show. Kes's parents took advantage of the shocked team, and cut down five of them before they realized what just happened. Damien blocked a blow from the butt of a gun with his blade, which slid the length of it, before quickly spinning and sinking it into the side of the man's neck. As the guard fell, Damien pulled his gun from his dead corpse and swung it about his head by the barrel cracking the butt of it against the next one's head. Some of the A.T.U. were firing off their guns toward the fight but kept missing.

Thea stabbed one of the guards in the eye, he fell dead. Two more replaced him, which both grabbed her arms, a third trained his gun over at her chest and fired. She fell dead. Mortally wounded as the round pierced her heart.

"MOM!-"

"THEA!-"

Damien and Kestrel had screamed at the same time. Damien fought harder than ever. Kes wrenched free and ran towards her mother, but the guard who was holding her, slam tackled her from behind. Pulling her arms behind her and zip cuffing them. He kept her pinned there with his knee, aiming his gun at Damien. He fired, hitting him in the leg. Damien cried out and fell to one knee, a hand on the wound, blood seeping through his fingers. He tried to fend off more attacks but was quickly overwhelmed. The fight ceased as he was dragged forward by two guards. The guard pinning Kes got up as two others dragged her towards her father, where they held her firmly. The guard that had pinned her then pulled out a military grade knife while walking towards her father, who was propped up between the two holding him.

"No, please!" She cried, tears streaming down her face, knowing his intentions.

"Kestrel, don't look. I don't want you to see this." Her father groaned with pain watching him approach, he tried to wrench free but the two A.T.U. held him fast. He stopped in front of Damien, meeting his gaze. Kes didn't listen, she couldn't take her eyes off her father. Silently pleading that this was just a bad dream.

"Kes look away!" Just as the guard plunged the knife into her father's heart without a second thought.

"NOOOOO!" Kestrel screamed. He cried out as the guard twisted it slowly. When the guard finally let go the other two did the same, Damien dropped to his knees he glanced down at the knife that was buried hilt deep in his chest. Then locked eyes with Kestrel, his love, fear, sorrow, and failure reflected in them. He fell gracefully to his side and didn't take another breath.

Rage filled Kestrel, angry tears streamed down her face. She screamed as the two guards holding her dragged her towards the hall, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. They started marching her to the front door. She pushed against them not wanting to leave her parent's bodies. Finally, one of them knocked her over the head with the butt of his rifle, she blacked out.

* * *

She finally came to halfway down the driveway. The one A.T.U. that was carrying her princess style, was flanked by two more carrying their guns at the ready. Her head throbbed. She rolled out of his arms, and made a break for it but the two with guns were ready and caught her. Kestrel's hands were still zip cuffed behind her. They forced her towards one of the black SUV's, whose door was open at the end of the driveway. Rykov was visible, sitting in the back seat waiting.

When they reached the car she was forced inside along with the A.T.U. that had stabbed her father and the one who had shot her mother. Kestrel sat between them facing Rykov, tears still streaming down her face.

"Alright," he said looking Kes over, "Kestrel here isn't going anywhere, please remove the cuffs" He ordered.

"The rest of the 'clean-up' crew will be here shortly." He said as he watched one of the guards remove the zip ties. She rubbed her wrists absentmindedly.

"Let's get a move on. So much to do, so little time!" He finished clasping his hands together. The door closed, and the engine roared into life. Kestrel glanced out the window just in time to see three people dressed like her parents jump from the roof of a neighboring house to hers, two of them disappeared behind the house, the third watched the SUV drive away.

'_I gotta get away.'_ She thought to herself, sniffing. Resolving to stare at Rykov the whole time, wanting to annoy him.

* * *

The man watched the caravan peel away, dread sank its icy claws in his gut. He turned towards the house and ran inside. He followed the path of destruction to the living room. He stopped in the threshold, his friend was dead. Laying on the floor in his robes with his wife. He'd been too late.

"Dammit, Damien." His Italian accent was thick, and full of sadness. He'd warned his friend that this would happen, he warned that keeping his daughter ignorant to them would be dangerous. Nevertheless Damien took the risk, and now his family had paid the price for it. He knelt by his friend's bodies, removing his hood out of respect for the dead.

"Requescat en pace." He murmured as he closed their eyes for the last time, tears threatening to break free. He felt a disturbance behind him.

"Mentor Romano?" said a husky voice, he tilted his head towards the voice. It was one of his apprentices. "There is no sign of her."

The Mentor looked to his son, who'd come up the hallway from the bedrooms. He shook his head, taking in the question on his father's expression.

"We must find her, we owe that to Damien and Thea." He said standing, "Contact the hideout, tell them to prepare for their bodies." The apprentice nodded and left.

"What should I do, Mentor?" his son asked.

"Put together a team, I trust you to pick only those who will work best with you. You will lead them to find the girl, we must get her back." His son looked confused, such a responsibility was way over his current rank of novice.

"But signore, isn't that above my rank?"

"Indeed, but you knew Damien and Thea as well as I did, would you think they'd want anyone else to find their daughter?" He asked.

"No, sir." He said, his father's reasoning was sound.

"Good, then I expect you to report to me who you are taking with you by dawn. Tonight, we'll bury our fallen brother and sister."

* * *

They had been on the road for a while, when they finally exited the freeway, and were entering the city. Kestrel had stopped crying, her eyes puffy and red. They drove for a few minutes, occasionally stopping for red lights. Kes had been watching out the window, when she had an idea. She silently prayed that it would work. She cast a sidelong glances at the guards next to her. One was dozing off, the other was cleaning his gun. Rykov was scrolling through his phone, he finally put it up to his ear.

"Yes, sir we'll be there in about fifteen minutes." he said glancing at Kestrel, "No sir, we didn't have too much of a problem retrieving the _subject_-" He paused his brow furrowing "Oh of course sir, of course, they won't be bothering us anymore-" Kes had half a mind to try and kill him. "Yes sir, see you there-" The car stopped for another red light. That's when Kestrel hatched her plan. She dived for the door, opened it, and fell out into the stopped traffic, having been tripped by the guard nearest to the door

"Good….SHI-" Rykov made a grab for her but she rolled away scrambling to her feet. He jumped out after her, jamming his phone into his pocket. She took off towards the crowded sidewalk, he was on her tail. The light turned and the car made a hard U-turn and parallel parked by the sidewalk. She streaked through the crowd with ease because of her size. Running past a couple who were looking through a window, and between the legs of a street performer on stilts. She rounded a corner and ducked behind a closed newspaper stand, rolling under its desk. Rykov slid to a stop, right next to it.

"Damn." He puffed, smoothing his hair "little turd's fast." Kes peered between the spaces in the wood at Rykov's overly polished shoes.

"All units, the subject has escaped." He said, She guessed that he had an ear-worm to talk with the team. "I want a five block radius from Fifteenth and Third to Jefferson and Eighth, search everything, she shouldn't be able to get too far, we need to find her before _anyone else_ does." He said, walking back the way he'd come. Kestrel hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath, she let it out and slipped out of her hiding place. She ran in the opposite direction, hoping against hope that she'd be able to clear the search teams before they caught up with her.

Kestrel had traced her way through back alley ways, and side streets until it was dark. Finally settling in for the night in an old abandoned building. She climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, where she leaned against a pillar, and cried, she wept for the loss of her parents, she cried about her loneliness, she had nowhere to go, her whole world had been turned upside down in a matter of minutes. She was angry and frustrated and confused about everything that had transpired that day. She was, after all, only eleven years old.


	2. Chapter 1- Search and Seizure

**AN: I Do NOT own any characters, themes, or affiliations, that may be mentioned or seen in the story, which are recognizable in the games. They belong to Ubisoft and Bathesda respectively. I do own the other characters though.**

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_Ten years later_

_Location: Gem City, _

_The Ragged Flagon Bar._

_Early afternoon_

Jacklyn leaned against the bar, having just finished a delightful conversation with one of her 'regulars' about his fishing trip. She surveyed the lobby and watched as a particularly well dressed group of men walked in and removed their sunglasses, as it was a bright sunny day. They walked over to one of the darker booths, watched by the rest of the bar as they didn't usually get customers this well dressed, unless, of course, a celebrity decided to waltz in. Jacklyn watched them wearily before she grabbed some menus from behind the bar, and walked over as the bar patrons lost interest and returned to their own conversations.

"What'll it be boys?" She asked, counting four men. A nervous habit. She watched as they read over the menus and collaborated.

"One dry martini, a Redd's Apple Ale and two Blue Moons." one said, they handed back the menus, and Jack left them to place their order on a tab. She returned passing out their drinks a few minutes later. Having satisfied them, she went and cleaned off a table.

"WaAT DoO YOu MeaN WE're ThrOUgH?!" shouted a drunken man, as he grabbed a woman's arm and tossed her back into the booth. He looked about twenty six.

"I'm saying I'm done taking this abuse from you!" Pleaded the woman, she looked a bit younger. Some of the other patrons in the bar turned to watch the scene unfold.

"YoU'rE NOoT THeE _*hick*_ On' _*hick* _CaLliN' Th'HoTS!" He slurred back, raising a fist. Jacklyn pushed her way past some of the chairs. Unbenounced to her, she was watched with great interest by the group of suits she'd just served. She reached the booth just in time to catch his fist in her palm before it hit the girl, she twisted bringing his arm behind him and grabbing the back of his neck in the same movement, slamming him onto the table. She knew a couple of moves that she would only use in situations such as this.

"Ma'am, is this man bothering you?" She asked, holding him there.

"ThAtS, Nonnne o' yer DaMN BUsIness." He spat wrenching free from her grasp and swinging madly with his fist, Jack dodged, swiping his legs out from under him with her own. He landed, dumbfounded, on his butt.

"You're drunk off your ass, mate." She said straightening up.

"Go home, I will NOT tolerate fighting in my bar." Said Carl, the barkeeper, who'd come to stand by Jack. He was an older man in his late sixties, his double barrel shotgun hanging loosely in his hands. The girl in the corner whimpered, Jack shot her a glance that told her to stay put. The drunk got up and brushed himself off, and made to go, but decided to take a swing at Carl. Jacklyn blocked the swing with her forearm, landing an uppercut of her own. The man stumbled backwards into some patrons who had gathered around to watch, they seized him and threw him out the door. With the excitement dying down, the patrons returned to their respective tables and drinks.

"That's my girl." he muttered, smiling to himself clapping her shoulder. He'd found her in the alleyway next to his bar ten years ago, and raised her with his wife who'd recently passed away from cancer.

"Thanks," Mumbled the girl, Jacklyn looked at her, she was blond, with a long pretty face.

"No problem." She said gently. Carl had already called the police, who were already pulling in as she pulled up a chair, sitting on it backwards. They'd arrested the man that had started the fight, he had passed out in the alley next to the building. The police took witness statements just incase they were needed in court, as well as a detailed account from the lady, which Jack sat with the entire time, and copies of the surveillance tapes. They issued a restraining order for the victim, and had offered one to Carl which he declined because he trusted his loyal customers to act if needed. The whole scene was watched by the men in suits in the corner.

* * *

As happy hour rolled in, so did the customers, some were regulars, others, well, not so much. Three more of the suited men came in and sat with the others who had come in earlier that day, they were followed by a couple wearing hoodies. They'd both ordered Cokes at the bar. One of them stayed sitting at the bar, while the other, by the looks of the features was a young girl no older than seventeen, went to one of the darkest booths on the other side of the lobby from the suited men. Jacklyn was handing out refills at the table full of suits, when she glanced at the wrist of one of the men, his cufflinks having caught her eye. There embellished on a black background was the symbol from ten years ago, the memories came flooding back. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart skipped a beat.

'_No!_' she thought wildly, some of the men peered up at her and she forced a smile. Then hurried away. She went into the bathroom and with shaking hands splashed water on her face.

"Maybe I was just imagining it?" she mumbled "It was only a quick glance, I could be wrong, they couldn't have found me, not after all this time."

She dried her face with some paper towel, looking in the mirror, fiery green eyes gazed back at her. She'd changed her appearance over the last few years, her deep wine red hair was cut short in a choppy hair style. She had scars from fights she'd gotten in with kids at school. One was over the right side of her lips. The other was over her left eye cutting diagonally, from just above her eyebrow to her cheek bone. She'd gotten these when she fought off two bullies during her senior year, they ended up expelled because they'd brought a knife to school. She wore a tight black shirt, with faded blue jeans. Having pulled herself together, Jacklyn walked out to the bar, she couldn't help but have the feeling that she was being watched, she surveyed the lobby, her sharp eyes taking in every detail. The man with the hood took a sip of his drink, he kept his shoulders hunched and his head down. The suits were watching her, but quickly looked down and pretended to be having a conversation when her gaze swept over them. The hooded girl was talking with the other barmaid. She caught fragments of her conversation.

"Kestrel Beckett?" asked Anna, the other barmaid. Jack's head snapped up upon hearing her real name, the hooded woman nodded, "The only other barmaid that works here is Jacklyn Roberts. Can't say I've ever heard of a Beckett. I'll ask Jack, she might have, she's worked here longer than me, some even say the barkeeper raised her." she said, while pouring the teen another glass of Coke.

"A shame," said the hooded girl, watching Jack. She tried to ignore her by turning on the TV behind the bar, she turned it to the NFL. But there was an ad break, one that she couldn't ignore.

"*-_Abstergo Entertainment-*" _said a soothing female voice, as the logo flashed on the screen. Jacklyn nearly dropped the remote when she stumbled back, bumping against the counter, it was the same logo from ten years ago. The hooded man watched her, a concerned expression on his shadowed face, she ignored him.

'_Abstergo_' She thought wildly, she felt as if she'd just been punched in the gut as the realization dawned on her. '_Abstergo, they killed my parents! No wonder I couldn't place it, their logo is everywhere!'_

She thought about the letters on the intruders outfits ten years ago. '_A.T.U.,'_ she thought '_Abstergo Tactical Unit.' _ She stood stiffly, things were starting to fit together, the only thing bothering her now was simply '_why?_' why had they kidnapped her and killed her parents? What did they want? Why would they need a tactical unit if they were an entertainment company?

'_Why now, after so long?_' she thought, as she looked away from the screen, the suits were watching her again. She met their gaze, resolving to just ignore them. If she made a scene then they'd know it was her for sure. She pulled herself together, and slammed what fears and emotions they brought up behind her walls. Jack smiled warmly at them.

'_If I can just make it to closing.' _ She glanced up at the clock, she still had about three hours left before she could give the patrons the boot. Jack refilled the hooded man's coke. He mumbled his thanks.

"Hey Jack!" Anna called, walking behind the bar, she tossed some menus into the pile.

"What's up?" Jacklyn picked up a pint glass and began cleaning it.

"One of my customers was asking about someone named _Kestrel Beckett." _ She said casually, as she refilled her beer pitcher. "Does that name ring any bells? I said I'd ask around."

'_Rings quite a few...'_ she thought darkly. Trying with all her might to keep her body language passive.

"No…wait, wasn't that the girl on the news a few years back?" She feigned, putting the pint mug down and tucking her towel into the side of her half apron.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Anna leaned on the bar.

"Can't say I've ever met her, I thought I heard that she died soon after the incident with her parents. Whoever had it out for her family finally got her too." Jacklyn silently prayed that this would diffuse any other conversation on the matter.

"Oh? I heard that she escaped to some extended family, and was adopted." mused Anna, she was playing with her necklace that she always wore. It was a small intricate gothic looking cross that was filled in with red. Which she usually kept hidden down the front of her shirt. Jack thought it was a bit strange looking, as Anna didn't strike her as a goth. But she wasn't one to judge someone based on their religion, or stylistic choices for that matter. The hooded man shifted slightly in his chair, Jack glanced at him. He looked a bit tense.

"We may never know." she said shrugging, picking up some menus she went to greet some more customers that had trickled through the door. Anna went back to doing her tasks.

'_Maybe I'll tell her who I really am later.' _She thought watching Anna, it took a lot to gain Jacklyn's trust and she felt that Anna had a right to know after working with her for almost two years now. She trusted Anna, and didn't want their friendship built on a lie. Jack hoped that Anna would understand why she lied to her, it was more for her protection. She was betting on the fact that Anna found things like this exciting, as she was indeed one of those people who enjoyed this sort of drama.

Finally closing time was nigh, and people started making their way to the door in their buzzed or drunken stupors, respectively. Jack was relieved that there weren't any more disputes like the one earlier in the day. The pretty blond went home without a scratch, but would have a bit of mental trauma for sure. She had a friend come pick her up.

Jacklyn watched the group of men from Abstergo leave the bar, they were followed by . An older man on the husky side, he had mutton chops, and had a slight pirate-esk way about him. She sighed with relief. Although she was still tense and unnerved, she could at least go home safely. She jumped as Anna plopped drinks down on the counter.

"Anna, there's something you need to know." She started, '_nows better than never'_ she thought to herself.

"Hmm?" she was examining her beer bottle.

"I'm not who you think I am, My name's not _Jacklyn Roberts."_

"Wait what?" Jack now had her full attention.

"My name is _Kestrel Beckett."_ She said calmly.

"Woah! Hold the phone! You mean to tell me that you're the girl everyone was talking about all those years ago?!"

"Yeah, I am."

"Bruh! That's awesome! I knew you were still alive!" She said excitedly. Anna looked at Kestrel, she looked pained.

"I mean, I'm sorry that that happened to you." She said more gently.

"Nah, it's alright." Kes waved her off. She knew that her bet would pay off. '_Anna took that better than I thought.'_

"Well on a lighter note, I think you handled that little dispute earlier today really well." The girl was smiling wearily, she slid a whisky to Kes and taking a long drag from her beer bottle. Kes accepted the drink gratefully, it was their thing to drink a little before heading out. Poor Anna had such a rough time during the job it was hard not to. She was a pretty blond, and had an hourglass figure that attracted all sorts of attention.

"You think so?" Kes mused, Anna nodded.

"Too dealing with trash all day!" She cheered half halfheartedly, Kes laughed.

"Amen to that!" they both downed their drinks. Kestrel stood, tossing Anna the keys so she could lock up. As the brisk night air hit her face, she frowned. Her head felt fogged, far more than a shot of whiskey should make it.

'_Maybe I'm losing my tolerance early.' _she thought bemusedly, but as she took several steps towards her apartment, she stumbled. Something wasn't right, although her mind was mostly clear now, her body seemed to be rapidly slipping out of her control. Swallowing hard as her heart started to race, she used the wall as a support and tried to keep walking. Her legs felt like lead, after a few more steps, her knees gave out completely. Kes wanted to call for Anna but she couldn't seem to get her voice to work either. She collapsed against the garbage can in the alley. No longer able to drag herself forward. She could hear footsteps, fear twisted her stomach.

'_Why can't I move?' _she screamed in her mind.

'_Roofies' _a small voice seemed to whisper. She'd been roofied, by who? Not Anna... It couldn't have been Anna...

"Well that was easier than I thought." a man's voice said admittedly, she was flipped over roughly, there were seven men standing above her. Three of them grabbed her, lifting her dead weight like it was nothing. Panic was making blood pound in her ears, she couldn't even fight back.

Two figures suddenly fell from the roof above. They were hooded, and when they leaped down the sound of an eagles cry seemed to follow them. The remaining four men ran to meet them, pulling out guns and shouting orders.

"GET THE GIRL OUT OF HERE!" someone shouted. She was roughly bound and shoved into a trunk. Kes saw two men fall by the hooded figures hands, she'd no idea if they were dead. The trunk was slammed shut, she could only see darkness, and feel the driver take off way too fast. The smell of burnt rubber filled the small space, as she blacked out.


	3. Chapter 2-Enter the Animus

**AN: I don't own anything but some of the characters. Dialogue, themes, characters that are recognized from the games or other lore, are strictly owned by Bethesda and Ubisoft respectively. **

*= Translations at the bottom of chapter.

* * *

_Location: Gem City,_

_Abstergo Entertainment._

_Early Morning_

_Kestrel was surrounded by nothing but whiteness, to which there was no depth to. She could hear faint whispering but couldn't make out what it was saying. Suddenly, the world around her changed. She was standing in a small clearing, surrounded by pine trees and shrubs. The grass was as tall as her waist, and was gold in color. The sun was setting. _

'_What a strange dream.' She thought. A man was approaching her, his hand raised in greeting. Behind him was a camp of soldiers. He was built like a warrior, his hair blond, his eyes kind, but protective. He wore a blue sash over his silvery, but battle warn, chainmail. But before he reached her, a sea of red clad soldiers burst from the surrounding trees. Catching all of them by surprise. Fear filled Kestrel, as an arrow caught her in the shoulder. The pain was very real, she screamed as her vision blurred and her head pounded as if someone was beating her over the head repeatedly… before all went black….._

Alarms were blaring. Kestrel screamed, pain erupting in every fiber of her being.

"TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!" yelled a man. Kes felt hands trying to steady her as she writhed in pain, she couldn't open her eyes. She couldn't lift her arms or legs, they were bound. Making her scream louder.

A door burst open. Making even more alarms go off.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! YOU KNOW YOU CANNOT PUT SUBJECTS IN THE ANIMUS UNLESS THEY ARE CONSCIOUS!" Screamed a woman. Kestrel screamed on as the pain seemed to intensify.

"FOR GOODNESS SAKE PUTNEY! PULL THE DAMN PLUG BEFORE YOU FRY HER BRAINS!"

There was a 'clunk' sound as the plug was pulled, and the 'buzz' of the machinery died off.

"GALLEN TAKE HER TO THE MEDICAL WING AT ONCE! AND SOMEONE TURN THOSE DAMN ALARMS OFF!" Shouted the woman. The alarms died off, as the door opened again.

"Putney, Gallen, my office, ten minutes." A man's voice said curtly.

The pain subsided as Kestrel lost consciousness, her body twitching uncontrollably.

* * *

Kestrel woke with a start, her body was stiff like she'd lain in one position for too long. She tried to sit up but her wrists were restrained with padded white leather belts, her head pounded and her whole body was sore. She was on a small hospital cot, complete with guard rails. There was no visible door. On one side of the room there were blackened windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, which her bed was floor was polished cement, the walls a cold stainless steel. The room was lit by long LED lights that were inlaid into where the walls met the ceiling. She heard a scream from somewhere behind a wall.

Everything about the room, from the crisp scratchy bed sheets to the smell, seemed sterile. Last night's events replaying in her head.

'_What did they do to me? Where am I?'_ She vaguely remembered an eagle cry, and two blurred figures.

'_Who were they?'_ The question burned in her, as her gaze fell upon her reflection in the blackened windows. Her clothes had been changed. She was wearing what looked like pale gray scrubs. The top being long sleeve, a tie on the side holding the shirt itself closed, and her feet were bare. She felt violated. She knew she was being watched, she'd seen an interrogation room before a couple years back after a fight with her high school bullies. She watched the glass, her sharp eyes catching the tiniest flicker of movement behind it. Kestrel stared hard at where she saw the movement.

'_This is not a hospital.' _She thought to herself, noticing an IV in her forearm. She felt a disturbance in the air next to her, turning she saw Anna.

"Anna?" Kes was confused, "Anna, what is going on? Where am I?"

"Oh Kestrel," She began, "I've been looking forward to finally meeting you."

"What?"

"Well, you see, we've been looking for you for a long time."

"_We? _Anna, what are you talking about?!" Fear clenching Kestrel's gut, she tried to pull her wrists free.

"All, will be explained soon enough." She smirked, before turning and walking out of Kestrel's line of sight.

"Anna? Wait! Come back and help me get out of this!" She called after her, twisting to try and see where she went. '_What the hell is going on?!'_ she pulled at the leather belts again.

"Ah, you're up." drawled a familiar voice. Kes stiffened.

"Feeling well rested, miss Beckett?" At this she turned her full attention to him.

"Rykov." she said dangerously, trying not to betray her fear. Rykov came to stand by the side of the cot, along with two security guards and a doctor with a clipboard. Her eyes scanning the wall behind him, now that she'd taken the time to look, she noticed a seam that wasn't as visible before.

"The one and only." He smirked. Kestrel pulled at her restraints, Rykov took a cautious step back. Kes stopped pulling, however, as the guards aimed their guns at her, two red dots appeared over her heart.

"Ah, ah, ah," he said wiggling a finger at her. "Security is tighter than it was ten years ago, especially now that we've _finally_ got you. Anna did an exemplary job."

"YOU BASTARD!"

"Now, now, there's no need for such language, that's my _daughter_ we're talking about. Now, this will be a lot easier if you just cooperate." he said, "I'd like to introduce you to one of my associates, Dr. Gideon Vagot."

Kestrel's fiery green eyes fell on the squat little man standing next to Rykov. He was heavy set with a belly that would have preceded him whenever he entered a room. He had a scruffy moustache, that made him look like a pedophile and was balding on the top of his head.

"He's going to check you over to make sure those idiots didn't cause any permanent damage." He said with a hint of frustration, turning to the doctor. "Carry on."

With that Vagot approached the cot, one hand fumbling around in his crisp lab coat.

"Good afternoon, how are you feeling today?" He sounded like from Disney's Peter Pan. Kes balled her fists, making the leather squeak against the cot railings.

"If you fudging touch me, I'll fudging kill you!" She growled, tensing.

"Stubborn are we?" Vagot produced a small silver flashlight, he grabbed her head and shone it in each of her eyes. Grunting she yanked away from him. She saw spots, as well as the shadow of another figure walking towards her. Which she stared at trying to make it out, but Vagot cut off her field of vision, by walking towards it, not even taking any notice of it. He rummaged around the drawer he'd pulled open at the desk and pulled out what looked like a folded up butterfly knife, and a blood drawing kit.

"What's the knife for?" She asked cautiously, not taking her eyes off the object. She felt extremely vulnerable. Rykov chuckled softly in his chair, the guards on either side of him.

"Oh my," said Vagot, looking at Rykov, as if judging him for making his patient paranoid "This isn't a knife, think of it more of a portable MRI." He said. When he got to the side of the cot again, he pulled the two halves of the mini-MRI apart and a blue holographic screen sat between them. He held it in front of her face.

"No brain damage." He reported, moving the MRI over her chest. "Heart is good as well."

"Wha- Kes started.

"Excellent," Rykov purred, cutting her off. Gideon moved to the other side of the cot, so he could get to her arm without the I.V. and tied a tourniquet just below her bicep, tapping the vein as it raised. Kestrel tried to pull away, but was stopped by the restraints.

"I did not consent to this!" She said alarmingly, watching as Gideon wiped the area with an alcohol wipe. Again, Rykov chuckled.

"It's procedure ." Gideon explained, he unwrapped a sterol needle, attaching it to a vial. He proceeded to fill the vial with her blood. Once finished, he covered the site with a bandaid. And walked back over to Rykov.

"I'd say you could begin sessions by tonight, but to play it safe I would suggest waiting till tomorrow morning"

"Thank you. You may leave, Gideon."

"Thank you, sir." He said, and walked out looking at his clipboard.

'_What did he mean by 'sessions?'_ Kestrel thought, her gut twisting.

They sat in silence until the door closed. Rykov stood and walked over to the cot, his guards taking a post on either side of the door.

"Well, we've certainly had an exciting first few hours now haven't we?" He said, walking over to the counter. He rummaged through a drawer grabbing a syringe, he grabbed a small vial and filled it.

"What's that?" She stammered.

"I suggest you get some rest though," He purred, ignoring her, he came back to the cot, and injected the clear liquid into the injection port of her IV.

"You can't hold me here," She breathed, her head began to spin.

"Ah, but I can." He chuckled, spinning on his heel clapping his hands in front of him, and he made his way across the room again, she began to feel drowsy.

"You've made it a lot easier to make you disappear, especially when people are looking for someone with a different name. As far as the authorities know, Kestrel Beckett vanished without a trace ten years ago." Rykov said almost reassuringly. Dread filled Kestrel as she pulled on the restraints as hard as she could but they wouldn't budge. Rykov paused at the door, his usual smirk crossing his face.

"You can't do this, let me go!" she groaned.

"_We_ have a very long day tomorrow."

The door slid closed, the room started to shift around as Kes started to feel dizzy. She squeezed her eyes shut, but it didn't help. She opened her eyes again, her vision was fading, but again she saw a figure standing at the foot of her bed.

"Help.." she mumbled at it before blacking out.

* * *

Kestrel stirred, she tried to stretch but was stopped by the restraints. Her eyes shot open, as she heard the door slide open. In walked Rykov and a team made up of four people, two in pale blue scrubs and lab coats, the others were his usual guards.

"Good morning." He purred, his usual smirk gracing his pointed face. The techs walked over to the cot, one was listening to her chest with a stethoscope, while the other took her blood pressure.

Another tech rushed in hurriedly, he was holding a clipboard and had an urgent and excited expression on his face. Rykov raised an eyebrow, and leaned closer. They spoke in hushed whispers. Kestrel had to strain to listen to what they were saying.

"Sir, the results are in. Check out the blood work." The tech mumbled excitedly.

Rykov took the clipboard, his eyes alight with excitement.

"Extraordinary!" He mumbled back, "good work, thank you for bringing this to my attention."

The tech nodded and left.

The techs unbuckled her restraints, and removed the IV. Kestrel rubbed her wrists, and sat up. The techs helped her unsteadily to her feet. Holding her arms for support.

"You truly are a _diamond in the rough_." He smirked, lifting his gaze to her.

They guided her towards Rykov, she locked eyes with him. Kes was weirded out by his choice of words, they sent a shiver down her spine.

When they reached the group, Kestel shoved the doctors into the guards which slammed into Rykov. She leapt over the confused mass of bodies. sprinting down the hall. She could hear Rykov bellowing orders, followed by the sound of running boots. Taking a sharp left, Kes ran past three people dressed in the same attire as her. Then past another group of guards and down a staircase, going down a hall on her right. She burst through a door into what looked like a cafeteria, above the tables on either side of the room were more black windows. She stopped short confused as the room was filled with more people in the same attire, almost like what one would see in a prison. The inmates closest to the door were watching her, a shocked expression on their faces at her sudden appearance. The doors burst open behind her, something was jabbed into her back before she could turn around. She grunted as she was tased, and fell to the floor once the shock was lifted. Strong hands pulled her to her feet, she was suspended between two guards. Panting she looked Rykov in the eye, he was livid. She couldn't help but smirk.

"Let this be a warning to all of you," Said Rykov, using the baton taser to lift Kestrel's chin so everyone could see her face. She saw the slightest hint of recognition in some of their eyes. This confused her, she didn't know anyone.

"Insubordination will not be tolerated." He said, dropping her chin. He tased her in the side.

"_Arrgh-!_"

"Take _Subject 47_ to lab 2." He growled, Kes glared at him breathing hard. He spun on his heel, and walked through the doors. Kestrel was pushed after him. They proceeded back down the hallway, and up a staircase. Lab 2 was at the end of the hall, the door was open awaiting their arrival. Two lab wardens met them at the doorway and took Kestrel from the guards, who stayed posted at the door. They forced Kes toward a large mechanical arm suspended from the ceiling.

"What's that?!" Kestrel asked, alarmed. She pushed against the wardens, and tried in vain to wrench from their grasp. But to her dismay they were ready for resistance.

"That, my dear Kestrel, is the newest version of the Animus." Said Rykov coming to stand in front of her. Kes was unnerved by the amusement in his voice. The wardens forced her to have her back to the Animus. Rykov's eyes were alight with triumph. She heard the machine come to life, something large and cold grabbed her waist. She looked down, it was the Animus. Fear sank its icy claws in her stomach. She looked Rykov in the eyes.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to see this." He said triumphantly, he walked around her.

"What do you want with me?" Asked Kes glancing over her shoulder at him, her attention snapped to two lab technicians who were fastening odd looking gauntlets to her arms. She tensed when something cold, was pressed just below the base of her skull.

"Your past." He said, coming to stand in front of her again with his usual smirk. "Insert Epidural."

"My wha-AHH!" Kestrel cried out as something stabbed her at the base of her skull. Her legs almost gave out but two wardens easily held her weight. She planted her feet, her fear dissolving, replaced by anger.

"Now listen to me carefully, what you are about to see, hear, and feel are the memories of someone who has been dead for hundreds of years. You must let these memories play out as they have already in history, should you try to change anything or do anything differently than your ancestor did you will dis-synchronize which may kill you. You've already experienced this so I don't suggest repeating it." Said Rykov, the excitement in his eyes betrayed the calm tone of his voice.

"Wait a minute!" Said Kestrel, her fear returning.

"Status?" He purred, looking over her shoulder.

"Scanning DNA chains searching for time frame." a tech called from somewhere behind her. The wardens holding her released their grip as the Animus lifted her up, and lights all around her turned on. Shining on the cloud of fog that she was raised into. Kestrel gasped as something forced its way into her mind.

"First memory match locked!" Called a tech. "Sir, DNA match identified."

"Determine synchronization." Ordered Rykov, looking up at Kes. Kestrel started seeing figures in the fog. She squinted at them, then she felt something stir inside her.

"We found her! We found Faolan!"

"Synchronization achieved." Kestrel's body didn't feel like her own. It felt slightly more powerful, as she lost control of her own body.

"Proceed." He said.

_*Skyrim, date 4E 201, the 17th of last seed, 9:30 am.*_

_Faolan's head bobbed, her hands were tied behind her, bound over the side of the wagon she was sitting in. She slowly regained consciousness, the arrow from earlier was still lodged in her shoulder. Blood stained her armor. The jostling of the wagon made the wound throb painfully. _

_She remembered the ambush, after getting hit by the arrow she was surrounded by imperials, she was able to block some of their attacks with her one good arm. Even ended some of their lives. But she was knocked to the ground by one who had a spear, and fatigue had set in quickly as the arrow was poisoned. She'd blacked out. She silently thanked the nine for her training, and tolerance to most poisons, lest she be dead._

_The wagon went over a large rock. Faolan grunted, as pain erupted from her shoulder. _

"_Hey you, you're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush same as us and that thief over there." Said a blond nord. _

_Her vision was finally beginning to focus. _

"_Damn you Stormcloaks... Skyrim was fine until you came along! Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you I'd have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." said the man next to the nord turning to Faolan, who glared at him._

"_You there, you and me, we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants." _

_Faolan took in their surroundings, never having been to Skyrim beforehand. The morning air was cool and crisp, a slight fog played around the tops of the evergreens along the road. She looked to the wagon ahead of them, there were more Stormcloaks, as well as an Argonian, the vibrancy of colors which she'd only seen in the deepest reaches of Blackmarsh. She was light blue, with dark blue accents, her crown of ivory was graced with sleek feathers the color of lapis lazuli. She matched Faolan's gaze, her golden eyes seemed to peer into her very soul. _

"_We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." Said the nord calmly. Faolan realized that the Imperials had tied her hands in such a way that she wouldn't be able to use her hidden blades to cut her binds. Her sword had been taken as well as her bow and arrows._

'_Never noticed the blades then…' she smirked to herself._

"_Shut up back there!" Called the driver of the wagon, giving the reins another slap._

"_What's wrong with him, huh?" said the thief, looking at the back of the wagon. Faolan turned her attention to her right. The man sitting there was gagged, his hands bound to the back of the wagon. _

"_Watch your tongue!" scolded the nord, "you're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!" Faolan nodded her head respectfully to Ulfric, who glared at the thief._

"_Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion... if they've captured you... oh gods, where are they taking us?" whined the thief._

"_I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." said the nord darkly. The wagon went over another large stone, Faolan gritted her teeth._

"_No! This can't be happening! this isn't happening!" Cried the thief. _

"_Hey, what village are you from horse-thief?" asked the nord._

"_Why do you care?!" spat the thief, Faolan could see through his angry facade to the crippling fear beneath. _

"_A Nord's last thoughts should be of home." Said the nord calmly. The trees around them thinned out and a small village came into view._

"_Rorikstead. I'm...I'm from Rorikstead." said the thief, a tear tracing its way down his cheek. The caravan went through the gates of the village. Faolan wondered vaguely which hold it was._

"_General Tullius, sir, the headsman is waiting!" Called an Imperial._

"_Good, let's get this over with." Said the General. "Thank you, Hadvar."_

"_Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh! Divines, please help me_!" _cried the thief._

"_Look at him!" Growled the nord, looking over his shoulder. There was a man standing in front of a couple of high elves atop two white horses. "General Tullius, the military governor! And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves, I bet they had something to do with this."_

"_I know them by a different name." growled Faolan, hoping the Thalmor hadn't seen her._

"_This is Helgen... I used to be sweet on a girl from here." said the nord, taking in his surroundings. "I wonder if Velod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in... Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."_

_Helgen was a small village nestled cozily against a mountain, the houses were on the edges and a keep was in the middle. There were small shops here and there, but nothing like the markets of Riften, or Whiterun, for that matter. There were chickens running loose, and cows in small yards next to homes. _

"_I am sorry it has to end like this." She said, the nord nodded looking somber. Faolan watched the towns people start following the caravan. _

"_Who are they, daddy? Where are they going?" said a young boy. Sitting on the front porch of his home._

"_You need to go inside, little cub" Said his father, who was leaning against the railing._

"_Why? I wanna watch the soldiers" whined the boy._

"_Inside the house, now." there was no fighting with the command in his voice._

"_Yes papa…" Said the boy defeatedly, before going inside a small cottage._

"_Woah…" the driver of the wagon pulled it to a stop._

"_Get these prisoners out of the cart!" shouted a female imperial captain._

"_Why are we stopping?" asked the thief, jostled from his thoughts._

"_Why do you think? End of the line" said the nord, standing. "Let's go, we shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." he jumped down and got in line. A soldier climbed into the wagon and helped Faolan to her feet, as she couldn't get her hands over the post she was tied to. He shoved her toward the back of the wagon, she stumbled slightly casting him a dirty look, before jumping down after the nord. She gritted her teeth as pain erupted in her shoulder from the impact of the landing._

"_NO! WAIT! We're not rebels!"cried the thief, madly gesturing to himself and Faolan. Who slightly scooted away from the distraught man._

"_Face your death with some courage thief!" growled the nord._

"_You've got to tell them we weren't with you! This is a mistake!" pleaded the thief._

"_And I'm the Lusty Argonian Maid. There's no getting out of this thief, you've been seen in the presence of the Stormcloaks, apparently that is enough to condemn someone." Growled Faolan, she was getting fed up with the thief's groveling. Somewhere behind her she heard amused giggling. Faolan felt that it might have been the Argonian._

"_Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!" spat the Imperial captain, losing her patients._

"_Empire loves their damn lists." grumbled the nord angrily._

"_Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." called another soldier by the name of Hadvar._

"_It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." said the nord, he bowed his head respectfully as Ulfric walked past him towards the block._

"_Ralof of Riverwood." called Hadvar. Faolan nodded to Ralof as he headed to the block, he stood next to the Argonian who he gave a warm smile to. Faolan concentrated on them and listened to their conversation._

"_Great welcoming party, eh?" Said Ralof, lightheartedly._

"_Indeed, the Thalmor make a nice touch." Said the Argonian, her lips curled slightly in a smile, barely showing the ivory of her teeth. Faolan could tell by the way her spines and feathers were flared that she was actually immensely angry._

"_Lokir of Rorikstead" listed Hadvar, he was starting to get bored._

"_NO! I'M NOT A REBEL! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" screamed the thief. Faolan's attention snapped back to Hadvar. Lokir had ran for it._

"_HALT!" Yelled the captain._

"_You're not gonna kill me!" cried Lokir. He kept running._

"_Archers!" Commanded the captain, they fired on Lokir, who fell dead with five arrows in his back. _

"_Anyone else feel like running?" questioned the captain, glaring at the rest of the prisoners, daring them to try._

"_Wait...you there. Who are you?" Asked Hadvar, looking at Faolan. She took a step forward._

"_Faolan of Stormhold." Said Faolan smoothly._

"_Captain what do we do? She's not on the list." Said Hadvar, worried._

"_To Oblivion with the list! She goes to the block!" said the captain, still a wee bit excitable._

"_By your orders captain." Said Hadvar. "I'm sorry- _

"_Hang on one second here." Said a Thalmor, he'd stopped next to Hadvar. "I'll take this one." _

_Faolan closed her eyes at these words, she knew her fate would be worse than visiting Molag Bal's plane of Oblivion. Which she'd prefer, as she'd already been to Coldharbor, multiple times, during the soul burst. _

"_Of course, sir!" said the captain, saluting him. Faolan was shoved towards the Thalmor, she glared at the imperial soldier behind her before looking the high elf in the face, he smirked. She grunted as he grabbed her right arm, as it was her right shoulder that the arrow was still lodged in. He led her away from the other prisoners, to where the rest of the Thalmor were watching the executions. There was one sitting on the back of a white horse, Faolan recognized her as Elenwen. Dread sank its icy claws in her gut. Elenwen was known throughout Blackmarsh as one of the leaders of the Invasion of Blackmarsh, which took place in Shadowfen, their goal was to cut the Argonians off from the Hist, in order to completely wipe their race from Tamriel. Faolan remembered it like yesterday, she'd kept Argonian refugees in her home. As she helped to fight against the Thalmor, she'd even crossed blades with Elenwen herself, saving a nest of hatchlings and barely surviving the encounter. Her prize was a jagged scar over the left side of her mouth. _

_Elenwen looked down from her high horse, literally. As they came to a stop, Faolan was handed over to two Thalmor justiciars, who held her fast. _

"_Ambassador Elenwen." Said the hooded Thalmor, he put a fist to his chest and bowed. "I have a gift for you."_

"_Who is it that you've brought me, Rulindil?" asked Elenwen, looking towards the justiciars. Rulindil gestured for them to bring Faolan forward, she tried to plant her feet but the high elves were stronger. They marched her towards Elenwen, as she slid off her horse and landed gracefully next to Rulindil, who stood with his hands behind his back. They came to a stop just feet from Elenwen. Rulindil jerked his head at them, one of the soldiers pulled off Faolan's hood. Revealing her identity to the high elf. _

"_Well, well," sneered Elenwen, "I guess the rumors are true then, and Torgeir is sending his spies to Skyrim, now we can't be having that." Faolan regarded her calmly, the soldiers kept their hold on her._

"_No matter," She said smoothly, she grabbed the arrow in Faolan's shoulder, twisting it slightly. _

"_NgHhh-" She set her jaw as she felt the arrow head tear more flesh, she met Elenwen's cold gaze. _

"_I'm sure I'll find some use for you. After all," She said, twisting the arrow more. Faolan groaned, breaking eye contact. "I still owe you for the loss of my Blackmarsh victory."_

"_That's sweet," Faolan grunted, "You think I'm the main cause of your defeat? I didn't think you thought so highly of me, Elenwen…" _

"_You nords are always so arrogant, I look forward to killing you slowly. You're going to beg for death before I'm done with you!" Elenwen, slowly pulled the arrow out of Faolan's shoulder, making her cry out._

"_The Thalmor are weak, that's why you needed the Empire to bow to you... Especially after losing Elsweyr." panted Faolan, fresh blood now seeping from the wound in her shoulder. Anger filled Elenwen, she drew her sword and hit Faolan on the side of the head with the hilt. Knocking her unconscious. _

_Kestrel felt like something was sucking her backwards._

Kestrel felt disoriented and dizzy, her head throbbed from where she was hit by the sword hilt. She felt strong hands grab her, the wardens had once again come to her side and the lab techs had come to remove the gauntlets, to which she felt a sense of familiarity towards. Rykov came to stand in front of her.

"What did you d-" she sucked in a breath, as one of the technicians pulled the probe from the base of her skull making her legs give out.

"Take _subject 47_ to her quarters." Ordered Rykov, looking thoughtful as two guards came and took Kestrel form the wardens. They helped support Kes as she walked unsteadily between them.

Once they were in the hallway Kes found some strength and was able to walk on her own. The guards keeping a firm hold on her arms as they lead her to a room. She didn't fight them as she was too disoriented from her session in the Animus. Their small group passed other groups of people dressed like her, excited whispers would emit from them as they passed. They finally came to a stop in front of a door, one of the guards placed his hand on a glowing blue panel next to the door, which opened as it scanned his hand.

Kestrel snapped out of her daze just as they pushed her inside. She stumbled slightly, and turned just as the door closed behind her, slamming into it. She tried to push it open in vain, before turning back to the rest of the room. It looked vaguely like the hospital room except the cot was against the wall instead of being in the middle of the room. And there was another door that said 'restroom' on it on one corner. Kestrel walked over to the desk, on it was a steaming bowl of broth. She sat, and took a cautious sip of it, she hadn't realized how hungry she was and continued to slowly drink it until it was gone. She looked at the clock that was inlaid in the wall, it was ten p.m. Kes put the bowl back on the desk, she stretched her stiff muscles, yawning. She let her sore body sink into the stiff mattress, defeated. She fell into an uneasy sleep.

_**Animus**_

_Ashoka watched as a hooded Thalmor, approached Hadvar and the imperial captain. She vaguely wondered why he'd bother walking over there, when they were already going to be killed. She hated the Thalmor, they tried to kill her people. It made her scales crawl out just thinking about them._

"_Great welcoming party, eh?" said a handsome blond nord. Shaking Ashoka from her thoughts, he smiled warmly at her._

"_Indeed, The Thalmor make a nice touch." she said, and returned his smile, which didn't seem to phase him. 'He must know some Saxhleel.' she thought. She'd been sent by the Shadowscales to inquire about the mistreatment of her kin in Windhelm. _

"_I'm Ralof." He said friendly. _

"_Ashoka, mind you, I cannot shake your hand as we are bound." she said, the nord chuckled._

"_That's quite alright." laughed Ralof. He gave her a friendly bump with his shoulder, which, given the circumstances, Ashoka didn't mind having something else to focus on than her own impending death._

_Someone cried out in pain. She and Ralof turned and watched the Thalmor walking a prisoner towards the rest of them. It was the prisoner with the arrow in her shoulder that she'd caught looking at her earlier. Ashoka could tell that she was a nord by her strong build, but she couldn't see her face as she wore a black hood that tapered to a point in the front with silver trimming on the seams. Her armor was black leather with silver accents, and a teal sash was tied about her waist. She had the feeling that she knew who the stranger was, but couldn't place her. _

"_Damn elves!" spat Ralof, the anger in his voice was murderous, "If they take her then her fate will be worse than death." _

"_Why is that? Don't the Thalmor kill their prisoners?" asked Ashoka, watching as the nord woman was transferred to two Thalmor justiciars. _

"_Not quite," said Ralof darkly, "They'll most likely torture every bit of information she has out of her, if she's lucky they'll kill her, but depending on the value of the information they get, they'll either inthrall her or soul trap her and use her for their bidding." _

"_A fate worse than death." Ashoka agreed, watching as the justiciers marched the nord towards the female Thalmor. They stopped and one of the justiciers pulled the nords hood off. The lady high elf grabbed the arrow in the nord's shoulder. Ashoka could tell that she was twisting it. By the look on the high elf's face, they were having a heated conversation. The Thalmor looked livid and delighted at the same time, if that was even possible. Ashoka heard the nord scream, and saw that the elf was slowly pulling the arrow from her shoulder while the justiciars held her in place. The nord said something else, and the Thalmor pulled out her sword, there was an audible 'crack', as she hit the nord in the head with the hilt. She fell limp in the hold of the justiciars, they dragged her forward and tied her to the back of the lady Thalmor's saddle. Blood dripping from the wound in her shoulder. Anger swelled within Ashoka's chest._

"_Talos protect her." Breathed Ralof, he'd watched the Thalmor as well. The lady high elf mounted the horse and rode out of town towards the North West, the rest of the Thalmor followed in formation. They watched the Thalmor until they were out of sight. The two prisoners were joined by the imperial captain and General Tullius._

"_Ulfric Stormcloak." Said Tullius, approaching the Jarl, "Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his king and usurp the throne." Ulfric growled through his gag, glaring at the General._

"_You started this war, flung Skyrim into chaos." Said Tullius cooly, "And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace." _

_Suddenly, a sound akin to thunder split the sky over the mountain. Ashoka looked towards the mountain, her spines starting to flare out, but saw nothing. _

"_What was that?" asked Hadvar worriedly. _

"_It's nothing. Carry on." Growled Tullius._

"_Yes, General Tullius!" Said the captain, rather enthusiastically, turning to the Priestess "Give them their last rights." The Priestess nodded._

"_As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the eight divines upon you-" she said. _

"_For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!" grumbled a redheaded Stormcloak soldier, marching towards the block._

"… _as you wish." said the Priestess taken aback._

"_Come on! I haven't got all morning!" He said darkly, as he kneeled at the block looking up at the headsman and captain "… My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" The captain stepped on his back, pushing him down onto the block. The headman swung his ax and promptly beheaded the soldier. The captain kicked his body aside with a disgusted look on her face._

"_You Imperial bastards!" shouted a female Stormcloak soldier._

"_Justice!" yelled a citizen._

"_Death to the Stormcloaks!" chimed in a few more._

"_...As fearless in death, as he was in life." said Ralof, mournfully._

"_Next," said the captain, looking thoughtful "the lizard!" _

_Ashoka swallowed hard just as another clap of thunder split the perfectly clear sky. She could have sworn that she heard a voice echo within it._

"_There it is again... did you hear that?" said Hadvar, looking to his comrades for support. He found none._

"_I said... Next. Prisoner." said the captain, her patience wearing thin._

"_To the block prisoner." said an Imperial soldier, grabbing her arm and guiding her forward. "Nice and easy." _

_*"The Hist will protect me._ _Sax Krak Xi Neel Kersh._" _said Ashoka as she kneeled at the block, the captain stepped on her back, forcing her to lay in the previous Stormcloak's blood. Which to her discomfort, was still warm and kinda sticky. The headsman raised his ax, just as an enormous black beast landed on the keep behind him. It let out a thunderous roar, which made the sky itself split open and it started raining down flaming brimstone. _

"_What in Oblivion is that!?" screamed Hadvar, drawing his sword. _

"_Sentries, what do you see?" asked the captain turning towards the keep. Completely oblivious to the beast._

"_It's in the clouds!" shrieked another soldier._

"_Dragon!" yelled a citizen, as the dragon let out yet another head splitting roar. The force of which threw Ashoka off the block, she flew several feet landing by someone's front porch. A burning support beam fell on her. _

"_Guards! Get the townsfolk to safety!" ordered Tullius._

"_Come on! The gods won't give us another chance!" Said Ralof throwing the heavy beam off her with ease and dragging her to her feet. "This way!"_

_They ran inside the watchtower. Ralof pulled a dagger and cut Ashoka's hands free before moving to Ulfric._

"_Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?" Asked Ralof, cutting the Jarl's bindings. Ulfric pulled the gag from his mouth._

"_Legends don't burn down villages." he said darkly, his voice was deep and powerful. The dragon roared somewhere in the distance._

"_We need to move, now!" said Ralof, running up the stairs. There was a soldier at the top of the stairs. He turned to say something but was cut short as the dragon's head burst through the wall. Ashoka stopped throwing an arm into Ralof's gut and forcing him against the wall as the dragon reared his head and spit flesh melting fire into the gap he'd created, before taking off again._

"_That was close." She breathed, the nord nodded._

"_See the inn on the other side?" asked Ralof. "Jump through the roof and keep going! We'll follow when we can!" Ashoka turned to him and grabbed his forearm like she'd seen other nords do, he did the same._

"_Be careful." She said. She jumped through the roof, and dropped to the bottom floor. Once outside the dragon swooped over her and landed in front of her. She tried to stop running and slipped in some unfortunate Imperial's blood, she slid on her back and stopped inches from the dragon's maw. Its red eyes bored into hers, its hot breath stirred her feathers. _

_*"Alduin krif ni hi, mahlaan briinah." Said the dragon, it's voice sounded like a raging river. Ashoka didn't understand what he said. _

_He took off and roared. Ashoka wasted no time getting back to her feet, she booked it towards the keep. _

* * *

_*___Sax Krak Xi Neel Kersh= I shit on your dead (Saxhleel)__

__*Alduin krif ni hi, mahlaan briinah= [Roughly] Alduin battle you not, fallen sister (Dova)__


End file.
